School days
by AdelaideChrome
Summary: Coming from Sabertooth Academy, Lucy thought her transferring to Fairy Tail Academy was a dream come true. But what happens when her father tells her to find Fairy Tail's secret to their downfall and sell them out to Sabertooth Academy when she had finally made real friends and found her so-called prince charming? Includes other pairings as well.
1. Chapter 1

"Remember, that is your goal. You are to infiltrate Fairy Tail Academy by transferring there from Sabertooth Academy. Find their secret that will lead them to their downfall." A blonde middle aged man wearing a brown coat ordered as he slammed his right fist on his study table.

"Understood. But may I ask, why such hatred towards Fairy Tail? Your company is in partnership with Sabertooth Academy, the second most famous academy in all of Fiore, why…"

"That's the reason why we need to destroy them! They are the top 1 most famous and most recognized academy here in Fiore. We need Sabertooth to be the top 1 for the Heartfilia Company to expand further. With you being engaged to one of the elite students in Sabertooth and being a spy at Fairy Tail Academy, we will bring those Fairy bastards to their knees and Sabertooth will be the top 1 academy again!"

* * *

A blonde young girl, about the age of 18, exited her father's study. She closed the room behind her and let out a sigh, her father's voice and orders still echoing inside her head.

What did she do to deserve this? She was a good girl. She was Lucy Heartfilia. She did her best in school and aced all of her subjects. She does all of her chores, even though their maids insisted that they'd do it instead. She was loyal to her friends and family. She respected everyone and never bullied anyone. She never smoked, drank or took drugs. Her virginity was still intact plus she has never tainted or has done any embarrassment of the sort to her family's name, ever. But why was she the one tasked to do the dirty job of her father's goal?

She brought up her right hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve some of her stress. She didn't want to bring any harm to Fairy Tail Academy, in fact that was the school she wanted to go to in the first place. But Jude Heartfilia, one of the wealthiest men in the country Fiore, owner of the most famous railway, and her father, enrolled her to Sabertooth Academy last year instead. Ever since Jude made an agreement with Gemma, Sabertooth's principal and owner, he had been setting his eyes on Fairy Tail's downfall. From what she heard, there was this festival that occurs every year to declare which academy will be the most recognized one and Fairy Tail has beaten Sabertooth for the past 7 consecutive years.

Maybe that's where she will come in, to find Fairy Tail's weakness in that festival. Though she was honestly happy when she heard that she was going to transfer to Fairy Tail Academy, after hearing what she had to do, she didn't feel like going there anymore. But she was the only child of the Heartfilias and she had her future laid down and planned in front of her so she really couldn't do anything about it.

"You don't look pretty when you're stressed, you know that?" another blonde asked as he saw the girl. He was sitting on the huge window sill, clearly waiting for the girl to finish her conversation with her father.

"Sting!" she surprisedly responded to the young man. "Have you been waiting for me all this time?"

The young man nodded. "Mrs. Spetto let me in a while ago. She said you were in your father's study, discussing something important."

The girl gave a sad smile and stared at the ground as she let his answer register in her mind, clearly her father's orders still lingering in her mind.

"So what did your father say, Lucy?"

"The usual. He told me about his evil plans, but this time it's about Fairy Tail, and how I'm gonna make it work. Nothing new." She explained in a pissed off tone. She shrugged once she was done talking and the young man walked towards her. He chuckled softly as she called her own father 'evil'. "That's not a very nice thing to say to your own father, you know?"

She sighed. "I know. It's just… he's become different. He's focused more on his money than his own daughter…I just…" the young man cupped her face with his hands and planted a small peck on her lips, making the girl stop from her yapping.

"Don't worry. I'm here for you, okay? No matter what happens, I'm here and I will never leave your side." He said as he stared into the girl's brown orbs, making her stare back at his own blue ones and blush right after.

"Thank you Sting." She said as a smile slowly formed in her lips, making her face look warmer and prettier. "You always know what to say."

"There's that smile I've been waiting for!" he chuckled. "You look a lot prettier when you smile princess, so smile. You've got me around, so there's no reason to frown."

She giggled. "Stop calling me princess you dope. It makes me feel lonelier in this huge castle like house."

"Don't worry. Your prince is right here and always will be."

"No you aren't. You go home around 8 in the evening. So technically, you're not with me always." She said as she stuck out her tongue.

He chuckled as he laced his right fingers around her left ones. He brought them up to her face and showed her the shining golden ring encircling her ring finger. "See that? That's one proof that I'm always here for you." He let out a toothy grin as she blushed even harder. "Besides your father won't let me stay for the night here. Nothing I can do with that." He shrugged as he brought his arms behind his head and slowly walked away.

Lucy stared at her engagement ring, which her father had given both to her and Sting when their arrange marriage was announced.

_Though I wish you would do something about that…_

Was he really the one whom she wants to marry? Was she gonna be happy with him eternally? Yeah sure Sting is a really nice guy but… she shrugged the thought. She shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks to bring her back to reality.

_Lucy, there's nothing more you can do. You can't think like that about Sting. In the end you're still gonna marry him whether you like it or not. There's nothing you can do about it._

She held her pink dress up and she ran towards Sting, trying to catch up to him. "Ah wait for me!"

"Come on princess. Let me escort you to your new school before I go." He said as he stopped and reached for Lucy's hand.

* * *

"Damn it! It's my first day at school and I'm already running late." Lucy thought as she ran across the hallway. She had just finished talking to the school's principal, Makarov Dreyar, about her transfer but their talk took a lot longer than they both anticipated. Lucy thought the principal was a nice person. He had already treated her as if she was one of the students studying at the school for a long time now. The principal had told her some tips on how to "survive" at the school. He also told her about some of the students whom she can ask for help in times she needed it and some of the students she needed to look out for.

She grabbed her almost-slipping-bag from her shoulder and placed it properly so that it wouldn't fall off. Her hand carried books too were starting to fall off as she ran but when she turned to the next corridor, unexpectedly, she bumped into someone.

"Ouch! Hey!" She shouted when she fell on her ass, her books scattered on the floor as well as the things inside her shoulder bag. She massaged the bruise on her shoulder and groaned in pain.

"Hey you bastard watch where you'r- woah! You're a babe!" the person she bumped into shouted as he scratched his head.

Lucy stared at the young man she bumped into. He looked at least a year, or 2, older than her. He was wearing a white scarf around his neck and an open black coat over his plain white uniform, which the two buttons on top were open, and red neck tie. He had a smug look on his face but the weirdest thing was he had pink spiky hair. Lucy couldn't take her eyes off of his pink hair, which she found amusing and interesting at the same time.

"Hey I know I'm hot," the pink haired boy smirked, showing his fangs, as he sat up and crawled towards the girl. "but you're pretty hot too. So what do you say we get to the nearest restroom and get to know each other, if you know what I mean?" he winked.

She blinked a few times, trying to digest what the man had said. When she finally realized, she clenched her fists and punched the man straight in the face, catching him off guard and making him stumble on his back.

"Pervert!" she yelled as she stood up and picked up her stuff.

The pink haired man groaned in pain. He massaged his cheek and nose and sat back up. "Sheesh woman! You sure can punch. I was only kidding."

"Get away from me you jerk!" she yelled at him as she fixed her hair and uniform. She picked up her bag and books and gave him one last glare with disgust before she left for her first class.

The young man wiped the blood that came down from his nose after the girl punched him. "She's feisty. I like her." His mouth slowly formed into a smirk as he watched the angry girl stomp away. He found the girl very attractive and amusing and for some reason he wanted her badly. He lightly touched his bruised cheek, the pain still lingering.

"I'm gonna get you for this blondie. Just you wait. I'm gonna make your school life a living hell." He said to himself as he smirked, stood up and went the other way.

* * *

**_Yey! I made another story hahaha XD Just keeping this one short for now. I'm still practicing my writing skills again_**

**_I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave reviews and if I get at least 5 in this chapter I'll upload the next one hihihi ;)_**

**_Cover image of this fanfic belongs to NarutoUzmike deviantart. You can find it there :)_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Previously:**_

_**"Get away from me you jerk!" she yelled at him as she fixed her hair and uniform. She picked up her bag and books and gave him one last glare with disgust before she left for her first class.**_

_**The young man wiped the blood that came down from his nose after the girl punched him. "She's feisty. I like her." His mouth slowly formed into a smirk as he watched the angry girl stomp away. He found the girl very attractive and amusing and for some reason he wanted her badly. He lightly touched his bruised cheek, the pain still lingering.**_

_**"I'm gonna get you for this blondie. Just you wait. I'm gonna make your school life a living hell." He said to himself as he smirked, stood up and went the other way.**_

* * *

After Lucy's faithful- or not so faithful- encounter with the oddly colored hair guy in the corridor, she quickly ran off to her first subject which was math. Her hair was a mess and she was covered in sweat as she entered the room. Their teacher, Evergreen, was abruptly cut off in her lecture as Lucy came in. She was obviously pissed off but gave Lucy time to introduce herself. Lucy was embarrassed, thinking that she had just made a bad first impression on both her teacher and her classmates. But once she was done introducing herself (though she didn't give her real surname as she was scared that people might not treat her like a normal student), her classmates gave reassuring smiles that implied that she seemed okay. Some already tried to hit on her, some tried to made friends with her but Evergreen made the class settle down and all their excitement died down. She made Lucy sit on an empty chair right between a blue haired girl and another empty seat and continued on with her lecture. The blue haired girl spoke in a whispering manner, trying not to disturb Evergreen again, and introduced herself as Levy Mcgarden. She told her that she can come to her if she needed any help.

Lucy nodded. She took and opened her book and smiled. She was glad that she made her first friend. She rested her head on her palm and lightly tapped her ball pen on her table. She listened to Evergreen's lecture about arithmetic sequences. She wrote some notes on her notebook and tried to solve some of the given questions. She thought how it was kinda harder than what Sabertooth Academy taught. She smirked to herself as she found the school more and more interesting. She then turned to the unoccupied seat beside her, wondering who sat there. She shrugged the thought off as she heard a name being called.

"Elfman!" Evergreen called. "Now you are just guessing! That's not even close to the answer. See me after class. We need to discuss your grades in this subject." She yelled as she closed her book and prepared her things ignoring the student's continuous tease on both her and the lad. "All right tomorrow we'll be discussing about arithmetic ratios which will be included in the next exam so be sure not to be absent tomorrow. If there aren't any questions, you may now go to your next class. Class is now dismissed." She picked up her things, left the room and headed towards the teachers' office.

The students packed their notebooks, ball pens and books back in their bags and headed off. Some stayed for a while and teased Elfman about Evergreen.

"Ooohhh~ Elfman's gonna get _punished _by Evergreen-sensei." A man with a dark blue hair teased which was followed by a laugh afterwards.

"Here Elfman. I think I brought an extra box of _protection_. You can use this." Another man with brown hair added.

"Shut up Macao, Wakaba!" the silver haired male yelled. "It's not like that! Besides, this arithmetic is hard! That's a man!"

The two men laughed.

"I think arithmetic is more of a subject than a man though…" Macao sweat dropped at Elfman's statement.

"Come on you two. Stop teasing Elf-nichan." A young petite girl, who had the same silver colored hair and set of blue colored eyes as Elfman said as she approached the men. "Come on our next class is history. Mr. Freed won't like it if we come late at his class."

"Li-lissana?" the two men stammered as they were both dragged by the girl outside the room.

"Good luck with Ms. Evergreen, Elf-nichan." She winked as she disappeared, closing the classroom's door, dragging the two males with her to their next class.

"I told you it's not like that!" Elfman shouted back while blushing madly.

Lucy stared at commotion the boys had started. "You know rumours say that Ms. Evergreen and Elfman are really both interested in each other. They just won't admit it." Levy said as she stopped in front of Lucy.

"Ah Levy-chan! I-uh wasn't prying on them or anything…it's just that I was curious about what they were talking about and…"

The blue haired girl laughed. "You know you're way too nice Lu-chan. It's okay. You're a student now in this school. So it's fine if you want to get to know them." Somehow that made Lucy feel warm inside. Never in her life did she ever feel so accepted, not even once in her 18 years of living. "Come sit with us during lunch. I'll introduce you one by one to my friends. They all have classes right now so they don't really have that much time to talk after class." Levy explained as she walked out of the room with the blonde.

"Wow. They're very much disciplined aren't they?"

"Either that or they're just too scared to face Erza or Mr. Gildart's rage."

"Erza, the school's student president right? And Mr. Gildart's the school's guidance councillor?"

"Yeah, them. How'd you know?"

"The principal told me. Our talk was actually the reason why I was late for my first class."

"I see. Yeah I guess the principal can get a bit talkative sometimes. Bu anyway Lu-chan, where's your next class?"

"Um…literature I think."

"That's great! We're both in the same class then! Let's go before we get late at Ms. Laki's lecture."

* * *

"Lu-chan! Lu-chan! Over here!" the blue haired called as she waved her arm and called the blonde's attention. The blonde who was carrying her tray of food noticed her friend and approached her quickly. Levy was sitting on a chair of a red rounded table with other people next to her. "Come here and sit down. I'll introduce you everyone." She said as she tapped the vacant spot next to her, signalling her to sit down next to her.

The blonde sat down and settled her tray on the table. She turned to see the girls siting around the table. There was a scarlet haired woman, a brunette who was staring at some cards in front of her, a silver haired girl, 2 other more blue haired girls and a green haired woman.

"Everyone, this is Lucy." Levy introduced as she gestured her hand to the blonde. "She's the new transfer student and she's my new friend in math class."

"My name is Lucy Ashley. I'm new here and I hope to get along with everyone. Nice to meet you guys." The blonde introduced. She used her fake surname again, Ashley, the same one she used during their math class.

Suddenly the scarlet haired woman smiled and reached out her hand for Lucy to shake. "It's nice to meet you Lucy Ashley. I'm Erza Scarlet, the school's student president." The girl wore glasses and a red coat with the school's symbol on her left chest. The girl seemed formal, respectable and too serious for Lucy. She took the president's hand and shook it.

"Oh so you're Erza Scarlet, the student president of the school. I've heard about you from the principal."

"Yo! I'm Cana Alberona." The brunette greeted as she accidentally brought up her bottle of booze. "You got some real nice _package_ there don't yah? I'm guessing a cup D or bigger huh?" the girl teased making the blonde blush and cover her chest with her arms. She then noticed that the girl had her buttons on the chest part of her blouse open, revealing her cleavage. Lucy found that ironic as she also noticed that the brunette's skirt was up to her leg's calf long.

"Cana don't tease her like that." Levy scolded.

"What? I'm just stating the obvious. I think a lot of boys are gonna go after yah. So did any of the boys hit on yet Lucy?" she said as she brought the bottle of beer into her mouth. The blonde blushed a bit and slowly nodded. "Hahaha! See? I told yah. But listen here, most of these men are assholes…but there are some nice guys too…just a few though. So be careful to whom you chose, because my tarot cards say that today you'll have a faithful encounter." She teased again but got suddenly serious when she showed Lucy her tarot card which had a picture of a man and woman with a giant heart on the back.

That made Lucy wonder. Which guy did she have a faithful encounter with today? Since there were plenty of boys who tried to made a move on her today, she couldn't remember which one was the most "faithful" one. That suddenly got her thinking.

"Don't mind Cana Lu-chan. She likes to read people's fortunes whether they like it or not. Honestly she's pretty good with her cards but sometimes…well you know…she just uses it as an excuse to tease people."

Lucy nodded and sighed in relief, thinking that Cana's fortune telling was just a bluff.

"Cana you aren't allowed to drink beer inside the school's premises. Also, please close the buttons of uniform and please cut your skirt. They should be at least above the knee high." Erza told her as she swallowed a piece of cake.

"Oh come on you're so uptight Erza. Live a little!"

"I'm Lisanna Strauss. Mirajane's , the teacher in art class, youngest sibling. Mira-nee's the eldest among us siblings. Then there's Elfman and then me." The young petite girl whom Lucy saw in the classroom a while ago greeted happily.

"I see. Nice to meet you Lisanna."

"Nice to meet you Lucy-san. I'm Wendy." The blue haired girl politely said.

"Wendy's actually in middle school but we all get along with her so we make her hang out with us." Levy explained to Lucy.

"I'm Juvia." The other blue haired woman greeted. "You better stay away from Juvia's Gray-sama, love rival." Her expression darkened.

"Love rival? I-I don't think so…I haven't even met this Gray person yet." Lucy nervously laughed as sweat dropped while Juvia kept on giving her glares.

"Don't mind her Lu-chan. She's like that to almost everyone. She thinks every girl is after her crush, Gray."

"Hi Lucy. I'm Bisca." The green haired woman introduced as she took her cowgirl hat off to greet her.

"Nice to meet you Bisca. That's a nice hat."

"Thanks. My boyfriend Alzack gave this to me."

The girls continued on chatting and soon Lucy found out more about her newly made friends. She found herself enjoying for the first time as she laughed and chatted with the girls. Suddenly she noticed a group of young men entering the cafeteria. There were about 5 men and the guy in the center wore a black coat, and a scale-like scarf. The most striking thing that Lucy noticed, again, was his salmon colored hair.

"P-pinky?" Lucy choked as she recognized the guy while she swallowed her apple. She decided to give him that name as his most striking feature was his oddly colored hair. "Le-levy-chan…that guy…what's his name?" she asked as she tapped her friend's shoulder.

Levy turned around and noticed the group of the newly arrived men. She swallowed the food she was chewing and answered her blonde friend's question. "Oh him? That's Natsu Dragneel, the leader of the delinquents of this school."

* * *

_**Sorry for the boring chapter. I hate making intros but of course they are needed in a story XP I promise I'll make it more interesting in the next chapter. I've already planned what I will write in it and it's gonna contain more action and romance than the past two chappies hihihi**_

_**Please leave a lovely review. If I get additional 5 more reviews I'll upload the next chapter quickly :)**_

**_'till the next chapter then~_**

**_-Adelaide_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Previously:**_

_**"P-pinky?" Lucy choked as she recognized the guy while she swallowed her apple. She decided to give him that name as his most striking feature was his oddly colored hair. "Le-levy-chan…that guy…what's his name?" she asked as she tapped her friend's shoulder.**_

_**Levy turned around and noticed the group of the newly arrived men. She swallowed the food she was chewing and answered her blonde friend's question. "Oh him? That's Natsu Dragneel, the leader of the delinquents of this school."**_

* * *

Lucy closed the water faucet and grabbed the hand towel Lisanna handed her. She wiped her face dry and frowned as she saw her reflection on the bathroom's mirror. Her face was already clean but there was still a couple more whip cream stuck on her hair.

After formally meeting the pink haired delinquent at the canteen, 3 weeks had already passed then. The leader of the delinquents couldn't stop bullying the blonde. Falling water buckets on top of her, throwing whipped cream pies in her face, putting fart bags on her seat were just some of the pranks he had pulling on her for the past weeks.

"I am so gonna get that bastard." Lucy muttered under her breathe, handing the towel back to the silver haired lass.

"You know, Natsu isn't all bad…before." Lisanna commented as she took the towel back. "He used to be sweet and protective…"

"Oww…so you guys used to date huh?"

"Well…we did, back in middle school. But then he changed for the worse when we reached high school. He wouldn't tell me what was going on him. It's like I didn't know him anymore." The silver haired girl stared at the half folded towel. The blonde didn't know what to say. She hated the guy whom one of her closest friends used to love.

"So we broke up…" She smiled sadly, almost whispering what she had just said. "And to think I wanted to be his bride back when we were kids too…"

"Lisanna, I…"

"But it's okay! The past is the past. Time to move on." she suddenly brightened up as she smiled at the blonde. "But you know, I get this feeling Natsu likes you. He has never pursued any girl this long before." She winked while walking towards the bathroom's doors.

"Ugh! Please, just don't." the blonde said in disgust, following Lisanna towards the doors. "If this is how that jerk expresses his love, I don't like it. He's only pursuing me because he wants me on his bed." She opened the doors. "Besides, I would never fall for that je—Kyaaaa!"

The blonde screamed as a bucket of pink paint splattered all over her. A boisterous laugh echoed through the corridors as the blonde caught sight of where it was coming from.

"NATSUUU!" she screamed as she stomped her way over to him. "Look what you did you jerk!"

"Oof!" the lad crouched down as he felt the hard impact of Lucy's knee on his hard stomach.

"You are such an asshole! And I just finished cleaning myself up." she yelled at him as she tried to shake off some of the paint, the excess dripping down on the delinquent.

"Damn blondie. You got some on me too." Natsu whined as he stood up to face the blonde, still feeling the stinging pain on his stomach.

"Serves you right you jerk!"

"Well we can wash up together in the shower rooms. I'll wash your back for you. And you can wash mine." He winked at her, making her blush both in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Oh go fuck yourself Dragneel." She snorted as she stomped her way to her locker, the silver haired lass following her.

"Oh come on blondie. Just one night. Why can't you just give yourself to me for one night? I assure you it'll be the best night of your life." He asked, following the girls, matching his pace with the blonde.

Lucy stopped, clenched her fists as she could no longer take the pink haired lad's attitude. "First of all, my name's Lucy not blondie. Second, I already have a boyfriend. Third, I don't like you one bit. You're a jerk, an asshole, a pervert and an idiot. You have all the traits I hate in a guy wrapped in one. Plus you keep on bullying me. What made you think I would sleep you?"

"Because I'm hot? Because I'm the leader of the basketball club and the school's top delinquents? Because every girl in this school wants me? Do you know how lucky you are because I personally came to you to tell you that I want you? All the girls I've asked said yes immediately, ain't that right Lisanna?" he smirked at the silver haired girl who frowned and avoided his gaze.

The next thing Natsu felt was a stinging pain on his left cheek leaving a hand shaped print stained on it. She grabbed him by the scarf and pulled him close to her face. "Even though you're the leader, your delinquents, Gray, Loke, Gajeel, Jellal and Romeo are much better and civilized people than you ever will be. I've met them and got to at least know them and I would rather go out with them than you. I don't care if you're their leader. I don't go out with pigs like you who would rather find whores than settle down with a real lady with a nice attitude." She then turned to Lisanna who was wide eyed, surprised at Lucy whose patience finally snapped. "Lisanna wasn't lucky to have you. You were lucky to have Lisanna. If you want a fight with me, that's fine. But never, and I mean never, mess with my friends or I will personally make your life a living hell. Do I make myself clear, Dragneel?"

His black orbs met her brown ones. He stared at her, drowning in her fierce chocolate eyes. Never in his life had he experienced a girl challenging him into a fight. He was taken aback, surprised that the girl can fight back but never tried to even when he bullied her so many times. It was the need to protect her friend that made her fight. She was just like him back before…_that _happened. He found her more and more interesting each day.

He smirked at the blonde. "Crystal clear babe."

She let go of his scarf and shoved him away. She glared at him one last time before calling Lisanna's name and continued their way to the shower rooms, leaving the lad alone in the corridor smirking to himself.

"You were awesome Lucy. You were almost as scary as Erza."

"I think Erza's much much scarier though." The two girls laughed, the tension finally dying down.

"But seriously Lucy, thank you."

"No problem Lisanna. I'd do it again if I have to." She smiled. The two girls opted for a hug, but realized that Lucy was still covered in paint so they decided not to instead and laughed off. "Besides, if it's a war Dragneel wants, it's a war he'll get."

* * *

"Blondie!" Natsu screamed across the corridor stomping towards the blonde who was in front of her locker. A squishing sound emanated from his shoes with every step he made. "So is this how you get revenge?" he smirked, removing his shoes in front of her tipping it over to spill the squished beans. "Really? Putting beans on my shoes? That's the oldest trick in the book." He rolled his eyes.

"Well apparently it still works for the stupidest of idiots." She smiled slyly, closing her locker door.

"You really are interesting aren't you blondie?" he smirked at her and pushed her against her locker, his hands cornered both sides of her head.

"Again, the name's Lucy. Plus…" she purred seductively as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered something in his ear. "You smell like beans Dragneel." She rolled her eyes, shoved him away and headed towards the door of her next class.

"Blondie wait!" he quickly put on his dirty shoes back again and tried to follow the blonde. He tried to open the door where Lucy entered but found it locked so he decided to go through the other door of the room. When he opened it, a loud splash of water was heard in the room and the students laughed at the lad who was now drenched in water. He scanned the classroom and eyed the blonde who was smirking at him.

"Dragneel! Take your seat. You're late." Evergreen scolded.

"But I'm soaked…"

"Take your fucking seat Dragneel and don't disturb this class again!"

Natsu shivered and tramped his way to his seat, glaring at the blonde the whole time. His classmates laughed at him, some giggled and some whispered about how Natsu weakened ever since Lucy came. He stopped in front of her for a while.

"Anything wrong Dragneel? You'll catch a cold if you stay soaked like that." She smiled slyly at him.

"Nothing really Ashley. Just wanted to return these to yah." He grabbed his shoes and tilted it to make the flattened beans spill on top of her desk.

"EWW! What the heck Dragneel?" she recoiled in disgust.

"Pay back blondie." He replied as he sat on his seat. A sudden fart sound resonated as he felt something soft on his bottom. He stood up to see a fart bag on his seat. His classmates laughed harder, his teacher Evergreen scolded at him and gave him a detention slip but all he ever thought was how Lucy smirked at him every time he fell for her tricks. "Real nice blondie. Real nice." He said in a low tone at her as she stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

School finally ended for that day and Lucy had stayed around the school 'till it was closed for the day, avoiding the school guards so she could sneak around in the night. She figured it would be the best time to find the school's secrets that would lead them to their downfall. She walked along the corridors and headed for the principal's office. Sure enough it was locked. She took out her hair pin, bent it, inserted it in the key hole and twisted it until it was unlocked.

She sighed. She knew she was doing something illegal. She didn't want to do this but her father had kept on texting and calling her all day about the school's secrets and so she was left with no choice but to sneak in tonight.

She walked inside the room and searched through the hundreds of files in the lockers. She also checked the principal's desk and the cabinets.

"Here it is." She whispered as she pulled out a file titled _Fairy Tail Academy's History_. She took it out and closed the locker. She put everything back in place and locked the door.

"Since it's already dark in here, I think I'll read this on the roof top while the sun hasn't gone down yet. I can't open the lights in here. The guards might see me."

When she had reached the roof top, the first thing she did was to look at the view. She saw how huge the academy was and she couldn't help but smile as she remembered all the fun times she had in the school even though she had only been attending it for a month. She smiled as she realized how many friends she had made so quickly.

Her hands shook as the folder containing the academy's secrets suddenly felt like lead. "I can't do this to them. I just can't…" Tears unexpectedly fell on her cheeks. She knew she could never do this from the start even after her dad told her to. It was harder now since she's emotionally attached to the school and the people in it. She sniffed and wiped her tears when suddenly she felt a movement behind her. She turned around and gasped as she saw the one person she never liked seeing sitting on top of the roof top's door.

"Dragneel!"

"Yo blondie! What are you doing here?"

* * *

**_Yey! Another chapter done._**

**_I hope you liked it :)  
Please leave a review. If I get 5 or more reviews, I'll upload the next chapter quickly. The more reviews the faster I'll update :)_**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

**_'till the next chapter then! :D_**

**_-Adelaide_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Previously:**_

_**She turned around and gasped as she saw the one person she never liked seeing sitting on top of the roof top's door.**_

_**"Dragneel!"**_

_**"Yo blondie! What are you doing here?"**_

* * *

"D-dragneel! What are you doing here?" the blonde stammered as she quickly shoved the documents inside her bag.

"Well after your little prank on me, I took a shower in the shower rooms. When I came out, the school was already close for the day." He raised his eyebrow at her as he leaned his weight on his arms beside him.

"What are you a girl? How long do you normally take a shower anyway? I think you can beat my longest record in the bathroom." she sweat dropped.

"You can take a shower with me if you wanna know." He winked at her.

"Thanks but I'd rather not."

He smirked at her. "What about you? What are you doing here? You look like you're doing something suspicious. What are you stealing?"

She quickly turned to him, her eyes wide in surprise, sweat quickly forming in her forehead. "I-I'm not! I-I was just… I left something on my desk and I went to get it back and I-"

She stopped as she heard him laugh loudly. She pouted in annoyance as she watched him laugh at her, not even knowing if she even did anything funny.

"Don't pout like that. It makes you look cuter. You're gonna make me fall for you if you do that." He teased, making the blonde blush beet red in both embarrassment and annoyance. "You're weird, you know that?"

"Oh shut up. What's so funny anyway? Is something stuck in my face or something?"

"Nothing really. You just looked too serious. Loosen up babe. You'll get wrinkles if you frown a lot."

The blonde suddenly got conscious and checked her face for any signs of wrinkles. She sighed in relief when she found none. "I frown when I see you. So if you're so concerned about me getting wrinkles then I suggest you don't show yourself to me." She turned her back on him and leaned on the railings of the roof top. She sighed as she watched the reddish-orange color stain the broad sky like a painting on a canvas. The sun was already setting and due to that the wind felt cold making her shiver, giving her a sign that the night was already nearing. She then heard footsteps approaching behind her. Soon she felt a weight lean on the railings as well.

She sighed again.

"What do you want now?"

"What? Can't I just stand next to you? You're such a meanie."

She huffed. "Your presence makes me itchy. I think I'm allergic to jerks."

"Yeah sure. You can act tough all you want blondie. But I know there's something bothering you. I just saw you cry a while ago."

Once again her eyes widened in surprise. The guy just kept on surprising her in so many ways, it was starting to get scary yet she felt like she liked it. She turned to her side to look at him. His eyes were serious and deep as she met them. His gaze, his expression was different from when he was bullying her or when he was with his friends or at school. He suddenly looked mature and if she had known better, she could see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"It's nothing really. Just some family problems." She replied, breaking their eye contact as she stared once more at the now scarlet sky.

"I see." He quietly said, almost making it hard for the blonde to hear. "Hey let's play a game."

"If it's with you, I'd rather not."

"Oh don't be such a kill joy. I'm not as bad as you think you know." He replied as he gave her his signature wide grin. She blushed. She had never seen him smile like that at her ever, not even towards his friends or classmates. Usually he would just smirk or smile mischievously but this grin…it actually made him look…cute. "Tell me what comes into your mind when you see that red colored sky, 'kay? It has to be someone or something important in your life. I'll start. It reminds me of…hmmm… of tabasco sauce."

She sighed in defeat. Maybe she can play along with him just this time. "Tabasco sauce?" she smiled. "And you say I'm weird." She giggled, not being able to resist laughing at his idiotic personality. For a moment she forgot that she had to act tough in front of the delinquent. The way she giggled made Natsu's heart skip a beat. He felt like melting as he continued more on drowning himself in her smile.

"W-well I do like spicy things so it kinda reminds me of it. The color reminds me of the outer cover of its bottle." He stammered for the first time, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding the gaze of the blonde to hide his embarrassment.

The blonde laughed a bit harder, making Natsu melt even more. Never had he felt this warm before, or at least he had already forgotten the feeling. "You really are an idiot." She teased. "Okay I guess it's my turn. Hm…I guess it reminds me of Erza's hair."

"That's a scary person to remember."

"Hey Erza's really nice and sweet you know! You just have to get to her good side to know that."

"I can be sweet and nice too you know!"

"Yeah sure, says the guy who bullies me a lot. Why do you even do that to me? I never did anything wrong to you when we first met."

"You bumped into me first in that hallway and you never even apologized."

"That's because you tried to hit on me the second you saw me, you pervert!" she scolded him, their faces close to each other as they bickered. She sighed. "But for what it's worth, I'm sorry. There, you happy?"

He laughed again at her, making her pout and blush yet again in annoyance. "Now it's my turn. It reminds me of our red jersey in basketball."

"Hmm…The sky reminds me of my red lipstick."

"The sky's color reminds me of strawberries."

"Strawberries?"

"You smell like strawberries, Lucy."

"You really are a pervert. Stop smelling me." She silently said, looking away from him as she blushed. _He called me by my first name for once! _His words suddenly echoed in her mind. _"It has to be someone or something important in your life."_

_Well I guess I'm important to him 'cause he's got no one else to bully._ She thought to herself. "Reminds me of red stargazer lilies. They're my favourite flowers plus the pink colored ones. I like how they look a lot like stars."

"So I assume you like star gazing then?"

"I love it! It's my hobby." She suddenly squealed in excitement, the delinquent laughing along with her. She then started telling him about the constellations and how she watches the stars from her balcony. She then mentioned to him how she loved making wishes whenever she sees a falling star. Despite not really caring at all about the facts on constellations Lucy had just said, he was amused that he was actually starting to know the blonde. And he liked it. He found her to be weird yet fun and exciting and childish all at the same time. She then stopped, blushed and then whispered. "I'm sorry. I guess I got too excited for a moment there."

"Not a problem. I'm glad actually; we're getting to know each other. It's been a while since I last just settled down and have a decent chat with a girl."

"That's because you're a playboy and a pervert. You should really try to understand more about a girl's feelings."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever. I've heard that a thousand times before." He shook the thought away. He was no longer used to the feeling of actually caring for another person, other than himself. He had learned the hard way that if cared too much, he would get hurt real bad in the future, and he didn't want that, not again.

He looked away from the blonde, who stared at him for some time. There was a tense feeling surrounding him, a pissed off aura if she would say so herself. Maybe that's the reason why everyone was scared of him and avoided him, aside from his delinquent friends…and maybe Erza. He always had this "fuck-off-or-I'm-gonna-beat-you-to-pulp" aura that made him look scary and angry (and a bit bad-assed, no wonder a lot of girls were attracted to him). But to her, right now, she just felt like he was misunderstood, that he was in pain.

_Natsu isn't all bad. He used to be sweet and protective. _Lisanna's words rang in her mind. Maybe…just maybe she was right. Should she give him a chance?

"Hey spicy breath." She called the pink haired delinquent who snapped out from his trance. "It's your turn."

"Oh yeah whatever. My dad then…" he waved and dismissed the thought. He then paused, suddenly realizing what he had just said. He had unconsciously slipped the words he was not supposed to say.

"Your father?" Lucy titled her head and stared at him with curiosity.

"I-it's nothing. Forget it." He couldn't look at her in the eyes; her huge brown innocent eyes tempted him to tell her. He promised himself he would never tell anyone his secrets especially about his family. He tried to change the subject, hoping the blonde would forget and ask a different question instead but she was too persistent for him.

"I thought you enjoyed talking with me. Come on Natsu!"

"I don't feel like talking about it."

"Tell you what, I'll tell you about my family if you tell me yours. How's that sound? A tooth for a tooth, right?"

Her deal made him think twice. He was honestly interested in her family since she said it was the reason why she cried. And to see a feisty, tough and fearless woman like her cry, then that reason must be something deep. "It's a long story. You might get bored."

Then she did something he never thought she would do. She grabbed her cell phone out and dialled a number. She then brought the phone to her ear and spoke: "Hello good evening Mrs. Spetto. Could you tell my father that I'll be sleeping over at my friend's house for this evening? We'll be having a group study since our exams are coming soon. Yes. That would be all. Thank you." She clicked the end call button and returned her phone back in her pocket. She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at the delinquent. "We have all night to talk Dragneel."

He laughed and shook his head. "Alright alright, you got me Ashley. We can talk at my apartment then." He started to walk towards the door, a smile still plastered on his face. He never thought she'd do anything unexpected. "Hey Ashley." He suddenly paused and asked, making the blonde stop following him. "Aren't you scared of me? I'm pervert and I might do things you might not…or might…like."

She thought for a while and stared up at the now dimmed blue sky. The sun had finally gone down and Lucy didn't notice that the sky was no longer scarlet in color, but dark bluish black instead. There were some stars already in the sky too. How could she not notice that? She looked down and back at Natsu, who was patiently waiting for her answer. It was obvious that he was expecting her to say that she is scared of him. He probably got that answer too many times before.

"I don't think you're bad at all, just misunderstood." She smiled at him.

"How sure are you that I won't rape you?"

She was taken a back for a second, surprised in his bold words. Can she trust him? He's a pervert and he tried to hit on her so many times before. He was an idiot and a jerk, but for the short time they had talked today he seemed the other way around. She loosened up a bit as she looked up in the sky and saw a shooting star passing through. She closed her eyes and brought her hands together as if praying to the heavens. He took this opportunity to stare at her. She looked like an angel when she's not mad at him and the starry sky as her background made it look even more like she was sent from the heavens. She told him she didn't think of him as bad. He was sure she wasn't scared of him.

_Should I open myself to her? Can I trust her?_ He asked himself.

She opened her chocolate orbs again and met his black ones, melting in each other's gaze. "Did you wish for something?"

She nodded. "I wished you would open yourself to me a bit more."

He was surprised. Did she really want to know more about him? Why? He wasn't nice to her since day 1. What was she planning? Was she really concerned about him? He chuckled a bit softly and gave her yet again his goofy grin, earning another blush from her.

"You're a weirdo."

"Shut up." She smiled. "Besides, with a smile like I know I can trust you."

* * *

**_More romance coming soon :)  
The two of them are starting to get closer to each other. I wonder what will happen at Natsu's apartment ;)_**

**_Please leave a lovely review. If I get 5 reviews or more, I'll upload the next chapter. The more reviews the faster the update. :)  
Please don't leave reviews concerning the title of this fic. Yes I've heard from other people that it has the same title as the "School days" anime. I don't know that anime so it's pure coincidence that I had chosen the same title as that anime. Also please don't leave bad words as a review. It makes me feel insulted._**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

**_'till the next chapter then!_**

**_-Adelaide_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Previously:**_

**_She opened her chocolate orbs again and met his black ones, melting in each other's gaze. "Did you wish for something?"_**

**_She nodded. "I wished you would open yourself to me a bit more."_**

**_He was surprised. Did she really want to know more about him? Why? He wasn't nice to her since day 1. What was she planning? Was she really concerned about him? He chuckled a bit softly and gave her yet again his goofy grin, earning another blush from her._**

**_"You're a weirdo."_**

**_"Shut up." She smiled. "Besides, with a smile like I know I can trust you."_**

* * *

"Eww Dragneel! Ever heard of hygiene?!" the blonde cringed in disgust as the pink haired delinquent lead her to the center of his apartment. The blonde avoided tons of trash littered on the floor while the delinquent chuckled lightly in embarrassment while scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry. I don't usually have girls as guests. We usually _do _it out in public like in alleys or in restrooms or in their own dorms. Gray and the other guys don't really complain about the mess in here, so I don't really have a reason to keep this room clean."

Lucy face palmed. "You're so disgusting Dragneel. I mean really. What lives here a pig?"

"A dragon." He teased as she groaned in frustration. "So what do we do now?" He purred as he pushed the blonde on his bed. The blonde shrieked as she bounced on top of his bed, feeling his weight on top of her. He settled in between her thighs and secured his arms on both sides of her head.

"Dragneel!" she blushed furiously.

He smirked. "That's it Ashley. I'll make you scream my name louder, though I want you to call me Natsu." He whispered seductively in her ear.

She rolled her eyes in disgust but placed her arms around his neck, making the lad reel back and look at her. She tightly wrapped her legs around his hips and smirked at him.

"My,my…naughty Lucy." He smirked.

She smirked back and wrapped her legs tighter around him and then she suddenly flipped them over changing their positions. Lucy was now on top of him, straddling him. She then slapped his cheek making the lad yell in pain.

"Ouch! What was that for Ashley?" he yelled as he massaged his left cheek.

"You pervert! We are here to talk, not to do shameful things." She crossed her arms on her chest, making her breasts seem bigger. The way she wrapped her legs around his hips and how her bottom touched above his groin made his cock slightly twitch in excitement as he continued to drown in the erotic sight before him. He teasingly thrust his hips and poked his groin at her covered sex, making them lightly moan.

She slapped him again. "Stop that!" the pink hired lad winced in disappointment as the blonde got off him. "I told you, we're here to TALK not to have sex. Besides," she held up a piece of a half-eaten pizza from the floor. "I don't want to have sex in a pig's dump." She smirked at him.

"I told you, it's a dragon not pig." He replied as he pushed himself up from the bed. "So if I clean up my apartment, you'll have sex with me?" he smirked.

"Hmmm…No, not likely." she shook her head in disapproval and Natsu pouted.

"Fine. Come on. I know the best place where we can talk. I know you're not comfortable here in all this mess."

"But I thought we were gonna talk here in your apartment."

"Are you okay then with all this mess?"

"No."

"Then it's settled then. We're going to the rooftop. It's still part of apartment's building." He smiled as he held out his hand for her to reach, helping her stand up. She took his hand and made their way up to the rooftop.

* * *

"Wow! This is much better than your room. I can finally breathe fresh air again!" she happily said she stretched. She looked up to see the bunch of stars clustering all together in the vast sky and as she looked down again she saw the hundreds of lights emanating from different houses. The cool night wind suddenly blew against her, making her shiver. She looked back and saw the lad smiling while sitting on a chair swing, patting the spot beside him telling her to sit next to him. She walked towards him and sat on the seat he reserved for her. Then she faced him.

"So…" he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I think you should go first. I-I don't think I'm ready yet…"

He avoided her questioning gaze. He had always been scared of remembering his past. He usually woke up in cold sweat whenever he dreamt about it, now he was going to share it. Was he ready for this? Can he really trust her? Why her? Why tell her of all people? He had only met her a few weeks ago, but why?

Lucy noticed how Natsu's hands shook in fear and how he started to sweat. Was his past really that bad?

_You know, Natsu isn't all bad…before .He used to be sweet and protective. But then he changed for the worse when we reached high school. He wouldn't tell me what was going on with him. It's like I didn't know him anymore._ Lisanna's words echoed in her head.

She sighed. "Alright. I'll start."

The delinquent's gaze softened as he looked at her and his hands finally stopped shaking.

"When I was still a little kid, I lived happily with both of my parents. My dad was a successful business man so we had enough money to buy almost anything we wanted."

"Wow. I never knew you were rich."

"You don't know much about me Dragneel."

Natsu snorted.

"As I was saying…my mom was just a regular house wife. She stayed at home and taught me a lot of things about life aside from all the other tutors they got me. I was home schooled but home was never boring with mom at home. And during weekends when my dad was on a break from work, we would all go out sometimes for a picnic or fishing or going to malls and other stuff like that. But then 10 years ago, my mom died of an illness. And then everything changed."

The blonde suddenly stopped and Natsu looked at her worriedly.

"Lucy? You alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Sorry." Lucy snapped back then she continued.

* * *

"_Papa! Papa! Look at what I made." A young blonde called out to her father, standing on the tip of her toes in front of his desk, trying to make herself look taller so he would notice her. She was still too young and little so she couldn't really reach her father's study table. She pushed the plate on her hands in front of him, but he only ignored it._

"_What is it now Lucy? I'm busy."_

"_It's a rice ball. I learned it from the chef. I think you should take a break from work now. Besides, have you forgotten? Today is my…"_

_And the next thing she remembered was the sound of her shocked voice along with the sound of a plate breaking into thousand pieces on the floor._

"_Did you not hear me Lucy?!" the middle aged man raised his voice as he stood up from his chair to scold at the little girl, his pointing finger pointing at the doors._

"_S-sorry!..." she trembled in fear and started to walk away but as she reached the door, she sighed and looked back again, hoping that the man had calmed down and maybe changed his mind. "Um…"_

"_You're interfering with my work Lucy! We have our own chefs to cook food for us! If you have time to do such useless things then I suggest you spend your time wisely by studying." The man was beyond angry. "You have already wasted enough time last week by not doing anything at all. You have better to redeem yourself now. If you understand then get going already!" _

_But last week was the week when her mother and his wife died. The girl had cried for a week and refused to leave her room and communicate with other people that time. Just when she had finally recovered and smiled again…_

_The blonde ran out of her father's study, crying and sobbing. "Have you forgotten? It's my birthday today…"_

_And for the rest of the blonde's birthdays, her father had not acknowledged her. He would only talk to her or see her whenever he talked about business with her, how he was planning on making their business expand with her marrying the sons of the businessmen he was acquainted with. Luckily, the arranged marriages never came through. But to be just given away by your own father and to be looked upon on as nothing but a tool for business, he had definitely changed ever since the blonde's mother died._

_And the little girl could never forget nor forgive him for that. She didn't love him, not even once…or so she would tell herself. She didn't have friends with the same age as her because she was not allowed to leave the mansion, only the maids, chefs, her tutors and the little doll she called Michelle (a doll that was given to her by both her parents back then) were her only friends. And ever since her mother died she felt like she had no longer a family._

_She felt alone._

_She was alone. Yet there was nothing she could do about it._

_The only happiness she felt was when she was allowed to leave the mansion to go to a school, Sabertooth Academy, the academy which the business friend, Gemma, of her father owned. Her happiness was short lived though. She was happy that she was able to go out of the mansion, to meet kids with the same age as her but she was bullied and was told weak by everyone, sometimes even her fiancé bullied her. Her fiancé, Sting…their marriage was only arranged by her father again, thinking that if she married the next heir of Sabertooth Academy, their business would expand yet again._

_Again, she was alone._

_But finally a miracle happened._

_She finally got transferred to Fairy Tail Academy, her dream academy,…even for an ill cause. But upon entering the school, she had never felt so happy and alive even when a certain pink haired delinquent bullied her._

* * *

She sighed, finally finishing her story but left out the details about Sabertooth Academy and her real reason why she was at Fairy Academy. She then stared at the delinquent's eyes again, only to melt in his pitiful gaze.

He was shocked but he kept his calm. He never thought that the blonde had such a past. He only thought of her as a happy-go-lucky and somewhat tomboyish person. But he was wrong. She was so much more. Her past was somewhat close to his. She then looked away from him, wanting to hear his reactions yet not melt in his gaze. He took in a deep breath and held her hands, making the blonde blush and look at him once more.

"You're not alone anymore Lucy. You have a family."

His words pierced through her, her chocolate eyes widening in the process.

"You have your friends in Fairy Tail Academy. You have me. We're your family now." He said pointing his thumb at him with his signature goofy grin, making her tear up with his words. "Lucy…" he said her first name in such passion and with such emotion. "Let me protect you. I'll protect you from everything that blocks your happiness…You look a lot more beautiful with smile on your face…" he blushed while scratching his face in embarrassment. She blushed beet red, as red as Erza's hair. Never did she think that the delinquent who bullied her would care for her. Maybe this was one of his tricks? Maybe he was just trying to get her to trust him so that he could blackmail her in the future?

_Natsu isn't all bad._

She suddenly giggled, making Natsu raise his eyebrow in confusion.

"Idiot. You're the only one bullying me at the Academy." She teased and the pink haired lad blush in embarrassment. She laughed and the lad stammered in his denial. She then moved closer to his side and leaned her head on one of his broad shoulders. "I feel cold." She snuggled in his chest feeling warmer already, though she wasn't sure if it was because of Natsu's body heat or if it was because she was blushing. But she didn't mind either way. The pink haired lad felt awkward at first, not knowing what to do or where he should touch her or anything. For a long time now (ever since Lisanna broke up with him) he had never been this close and intimate (not including the times when he had sex) with a girl before. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck to ease his discomfort. But soon he relaxed and wrapped an arm around the blonde. He slowly pushed his feet against the ground to slowly rock the swing. He suddenly got conscious as he remembered that the blonde was on his chest. Could she hear his heart beating fast? He took a deep breath then looked up the sky and saw thousands of stars above them. It had always been the same sky he had seen before but tonight, the sky seemed different. It was more…passionate and clearer than before.

What was this girl doing to him?

He was going soft.

Lucy then sleepy mumbled. "Natsu…thank you. That means a lot to me, really."

"Don't worry about it Lucy. I promise you that." He warmly replied to her, leaning his head atop hers.

They sat there for a while, not saying anything. Just letting their feelings sink through them as the swing continued to lullaby them into sleep.

"Hey…"

"Hmm?"

"You haven't told me…about your past yet…no fair…" Lucy said in between yawns, the delinquent stiffening at the question. He wasn't still comfortable in telling about his past. Even though he had agreed to tell her, even when he finally heard about her past…he wasn't ready yet. It was…way too tragic for him.

"Maybe next time Lucy. Go to sleep. You're already tired." He said in the calmest voice he can manage, trying not to tremble or to shake in fear.

"No…fair…" the blonde whispered before finally drifting to sleep in the delinquent's arms.

"Good night Lucy." He whispered back before wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head, leading her to a sound and happy sleep.

* * *

**_Sorry for the late update. School work is such a pain in the ass. _**

**_Anyway, hihihi I'm not gonna reveal yet about Natsu's dark past hihihi You guys stayed tuned to know what really happened to him ;)_**

**_Please leave a lovely review. If I get 5 reviews or more, I'll upload the next chapter. The more reviews the faster the update. :)  
Please don't leave reviews concerning the title of this fic. Yes I've heard from other people that it has the same title as the "School days" anime. I don't know that anime so it's pure coincidence that I had chosen the same title as that anime. Also please don't leave bad words as a review. It makes me feel insulted._**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

**_'till the next chapter then!_**

**_-Adelaide_**


End file.
